There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

Have you ever visited Buckeystown, Maryland? And I don’t mean, driven through it. I’ve driven through it so many times I’ve lost count. When I worked down in Montgomery County, I used to bail out off of Rt. 270 and cut through Buckeystown to get home. It was a much more scenic and serene route to drive, especially on a Friday afternoon after a hard week of working. However, something I’ve never done until recently was actually visit Buckeystown and learn it’s history. There truly is something for everyone in historic Buckeystown, Maryland.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

There’s something for everyone in Buckeystown, Maryland

Here’s Buckeystown in a nutshell taken from Wikipedia: “The Buckeystown Historic District includes the majority of the small town of Buckeystown, Maryland, an unincorporated community located in Frederick County, Maryland, USA. It is named for George Buckey, a tanner, and his brother, John Buckey, a blacksmith and tavern owner. Buckeystown is on the U.S National Register of Historic Places and the Maryland Civil War Trail due to its rich history and beautiful examples of Queen Anne and Victorian style houses, along with a small commercial center. Each historic home has a plaque indicating the year built, the earliest being circa 1780. There are also several historical information plaques installed along the main street.

The land Buckeystown now sits on was once called “Good Luck.” It began as a 400-acre (1.6 km2) parcel given to Meredith Davis by the King of England in 1731. Over time, more land was added to the original tract. A road that stretched from Pennsylvania to Florida bisected the town and sealed the area’s fate: it was the perfect place for enterprising families to settle. The town grew due to the prosperity of several businesses which took advantage of the natural resources the location provided. Two mills were located along the Monocacy River, which runs behind the southside of town, the tannery and an ice creamery utilized a natural spring, and a brickworks used the naturally occurring lime.[2]

Buckeystown enjoyed 100 years of prosperity from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. Several wealthy families began to dominate the town’s social scene. These families built the lavish mansions and proud stone homes which still grace the main streets today. Buckeystown’s early industrial center gradually faded, leaving a well-preserved residential district with a particular emphasis on the 1870-1910 period.[3]

The main thoroughfare, currently known as Buckeystown Pike or Maryland State Highway 85, was used during both the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Soldiers marched through town towards decisive battles, following brave leaders including Stonewall Jackson and General Robert E. Lee.”

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

The first place Terri and I visited was Buckeystown Park. This park is open year round and is situated right alongside the Monocacy River. It’s a beautiful park with nice tall shady trees, a pavilion with picnic tables, horseshoe pits, a nice playground, grills, and access directly to the river where you can go fishing and boating – something for everyone.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

As Terri and I drove out of the park, we passed a huge stone home up on the hill (pictured below) with an old stone retaining wall. It is gorgeous. It was tough to really enjoy it’s beauty though because it sits right on a narrow curve of Michael’s Mill Road. This home, the manor house, was built in 1839 and was the home of the owners of Michael’s Mill.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

On the other side of the curve is the building below, which currently houses J.J. Crewe & Son, Inc. a compressor engineering and fabrication shop. It is the original Michael’s Mill. One of the earliest mills in Frederick County, Michael’s Mill operated from 1739 to 1957.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

Below is a picture from the side of the old mill. It’s tough to see the river in this picture, but in person it’s gorgeous. To read more information about Michael’s Mill, check out MillPictures.com.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

As we drove a little further down Michael’s Mill Road, we pulled over to the side of the road to get the below photo of the Monocacy River.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

Click on this link to give you a little sampling of how beautiful this river is:

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

The picture above is a gorgeous private residence located in the center of Buckeystown.

Our next stop was to Buckeystown Pub for a little lunch. Terri and I have recently discovered this ‘best kept secret’. It’s definitely a ‘pub’ type of atmosphere – very casual. They offer the typical pub fare and alcoholic beverages. On the weekends they have karaoke nights and during the warm months they have live bands out on their patio. They don’t charge a cover charge for the bands, which typically play from 6:30 to 10:30 – really nice for us older folks who can’t hang like we used to.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

The outdoor patio is very inviting with picnic tables, a tiki style bar, large fans inside the ceiling of the shelter, a nice big stage for the bands, and in the lawn area: horseshoe pits and corn hole. To top it off, they have All You Can Eat crabs for a good price accompanied by crab soup, fries, and hush puppies. We went to Buckeystown Pub a couple of weekends ago and got the All You Can Eat Crabs while sitting outside on their patio and listening to a great band. It was a really fun evening.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

Buckeystown Pub used to be Tobery’s Meat Market years ago. The waitress who served us lunch on this particular day said that sometimes people still think it is a ‘meat market’ and not in the way that it used to be, if you get what I’m saying. However, we’ve always found everybody to be very friendly and down-to-earth.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

After lunch, we got back in the car and took a drive through the town. We stopped at Mayne’s Tree Farm first. It was closed at the time, but has been visited by my family many times through the years during the holiday season. We always go here to cut down our own Christmas tree. They offer tractor rides out to the trees, you cut down your own, hitch a tractor ride back to the entrance, they bundle it up for you, you put it on top of your car, and you’re on your way! Mayne’s also has a pumpkin patch in the fall along with other fall activities. And throughout the year they offer fresh produce, including picking your own strawberries. Check out their website for details.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

As you drive through town, you can’t help but notice the gorgeous church (pictured below), Buckeystown United Methodist Church. This church was originally built in 1866. It sits literally in the heart of the town.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

Driving through the streets of Buckeystown, you can see that many of the historic victorian homes have plaques next to the front doors, indicating the year they were built.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

Below is a majestic former residence that has now been converted into an antique store, Martin’s Field Antiques.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

There are some absolutely gorgeous mansions in this town. The house below was built in 1896 by John Baker, the son of William Baker, an entrepreneur of Buckeystown. It has beautiful Queen Anne architecture.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

More historic homes along Buckeystown Pike.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

Below is a photo of The Inn at Buckeystown. I couldn’t find a website for this business. However, did find that it was built in 1897. It used to be a bed and breakfast and hosted weddings. I believe it is recently under new ownership. It looks like a beautiful place.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

Below, just one of the many historical homes in Buckeystown, Maryland.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

The next picture is a plaque indicating that Buckeystown has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior. Excuse the shadow of my hand. It was a bright and sunny day.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

To read what the above marker says and learn a little bit more about Buckeystown’s history, go to HMdb.org – The Historical Marker Database.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

The bridge in the above photo crosses Rocky Fountain Creek. At the other end of this short bridge is Buckeystown Market – a gas station and convenience store.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

One of the plaques that indicate a historical structure and the year it was built.

“Carrollton” Patented for 10,000 acres to Charles and Daniel Carroll, Mary and Ellinor Carroll 1st April 1724. It was from this tract that Charles Carroll assumed the title “Charles Carroll of Carrollton” when signing the Declaration of Independence.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

One of the many old stone, historical homes in Buckeystown.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

The above and below photos are of the Old General Store, built in 1905. It is now a thrift shop.

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

There’s Something for Everyone in Historic Buckeystown, Maryland

And last but not least on our afternoon tour of historic Buckeystown, Maryland is Hedgeapple Farm. This farm dates back to the year 1731. It is currently a dairy and beef farm owned and run by the Jorgensen family. “Outreach programs and tours are conducted several times throughout the year to educate not only beef producers, but also members of the general public who are interested in farm life and the operation itself.”

This is just a small sampling of what the small historic town of Buckeystown has to offer. Next time you’re just passing through, take some time to stop and explore the town yourself. And get a bite to eat at Buckeystown Pub. Crabs, beer, music and fun are their specialty.

Pam is married and has 1 son – a middle-schooler in his tween years. She followed Terri to Frederick in 1999. She absolutely loves going to yard sales and estate sales and finding hidden treasures. read more...

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About Pam

Pam is married and has 1 son – a middle-schooler in his tween years. She followed Terri to Frederick in 1999. She absolutely loves going to yard sales and estate sales and finding hidden treasures. read more...

Thank you I enjoyed the blog. We would drive up from Chevy Chase MD to ‘the country’ to buy our Christmas tree from Mayne’s farm every year. We liked it so much we bought a Victorian opposite the farm and stayed.
I agree lovely small town, some call it the Mayberry of Maryland.

Thank you Bonnie! How lucky are you to have a Victorian in Buckeystown! Such a quaint little town. We go to Mayne’s every year too for our Christmas tree. We’ve probably bumped into each other and never knew it. We also frequent Buckeystown Pub on karaoke nights. Fun place 🙂

Very nice! Am heading there this summer to revisit my family heritage in Buckeystown. Keller family – of which there are three homes on Buckeystown Pike originally built by a Keller, including the Inn you have pictured. My grandfather owned a gas station & repair shop (Johnathan Keller), my great grandfather (Edward L. Keller) owned a blacksmith and wheelwright shop, and my great great grandfather (Jonathan Keller) was a tailor. Edward L. Keller married Hattie L Michael – of the family of Michael’s Mill.